New Ulm High School: Luau for King Lear

March 17, 2013

NEW ULM New Ulm High School will present "Luau for King Lear"on March 22, 23 and 24 at the District Administrative Center at 15 North State Street.

The play is under the direction of Wendy Tuttle, who said she likes finding plays that budding actors can have fun performing. She said this lets the student be more confident on the stage and really get into their parts.

She said this particular play has some fun "off the wall" comedy and the author has a great grasp of how to turn word puns on a variety of topics.

Article Photos

The story of the play revolves around the Peaceful Glen Memorial Players, an acting troupe, who are seeking to save their building. A clause in the will for the building only allows them to retain control of it if they produce "quality productions." The troupe has tried repeatedly to produce successful productions, but their "out of left fields" antics has resulted in situations like the production of "12 Angry Men" consisting of five actors and seven store mannequins.

When a family heir who minored in drama in college comes into the picture, they decide to make him the director and put a performance of "King Lear" save the building. But, the heir is unaware that a goofy part of the planning will required the performance to be set in Hawaii. What follows is escalating scenes of zany problems cropping up in the productions, ranging from giggling teenagers to a cranky lady living in the basement apartment to food fights. In the process, all sorts of oddball community theater types come out of the woodwork. The play is a "prequel" to a similar comedy called "Barbecuing Hamlet."

The performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 22 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 23. The performance will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. The cost is $7 per person, with it only cost $5 for students.

Fact Box

If You Go...

The performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 22 and 7 p.m. On Saturday, March 23. The performance will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. The cost is $7 per person, with it only cost $5 for students.

Cast:

Tamara: Taylor Booth

Leo: Colin Leuthold

Duncan: Ronnie Garias

Sarge: Alex Lund

Mary Beth: Brianna Nolte

Blair: Ellie Hohensee

Mrs. Blankton: Lacey Wilmes

Callie: Sicily Trulinger

Alex: Emily Knisley

Theodora: Julia Gadzik

Otis: Noah Bollingmo

Elzbeth: Dasha Soboleva

Chuck: Nicole Howard

Jerilyn Kjellberg did all the volunteer work for the props for the play.